The transition from germ tubes to vegetative growth in uredospores of Melampsora lini

Abstract

The transition from uredospore germ tubes to vegetative hyphae marks the initiation of mycelial colonies of Melampsora lini growing in axenic culture. It is promoted by heat shock (31 °C for 2 h) and is arbitrarily defined as having occurred when mitotic divisions of the two original uredospore nuclei have produced more than four nuclei. The percentage of germinating spores in which it occurs (percentage initiation) does not increase beyond 48 h after seeding and is higher (about 9 vs. 5%) at a low (18 spores/mm2) than at a higher (90 spores/mm2) inoculum density. The number of nuclei in a mycelial colony arising from a single uredospore increases exponentially with a mean doubling time of 2.40 days. Neither the percentage initiation nor the rate of increase in number of nuclei (= mycelial growth) are affected by the proximity of neighbouring spores at spore densities of the order of 18 spores/mm2. Approximately 10% of the initiated colonies exhibit a growth rate that renders them visible to the naked eye after 5 weeks. Key words: rust fungus, axenic culture, vegetative growth, single spore colonies.